September 11, 2025

We took this side trip to China with about 15 others from the Ship!

L to R - Gary, Me, Sarah, Colleen & John- next row Alex, MaryAnn, Sherie, Darrell, Phil - last row Chaz, Angela & Steve, Christy, Bosco & Bob. Most of us all booked the same flights, train to Shanghai and Hotels - safety & collaboration in numbers! Our Hotel, Guo Ji Yi Yuan  in BeiJing was at a great location, right in the heart of the city, zone 1, close to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Walking around our first night we saw so much activity and tried our first Hot Pot, we were amateurs at how to do it! The menu was a giant photo coffee table book with pretty pictures and no English so we had to translate everything !! Pointing didn't work well here.

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When we booked our hotel we didn't know it was 80th anniversary of China's Victory Day and that they would be shutting down the streets and attractions within zones 1 & 2 starting 9/1, for days, for a giant Military Parade on 9/3! We were told the day after our arrival 8/31, that we would most likely be confined to our Hotel for 24 hours, from 6 pm 9/2 to 9/3.

TIOMAN ISLAND, MALAYSIA

By Pat Patrick • July 6, 2026
Fun day in the waters of Tioman Island, Malaysia snorkeling with friends. Life is good! It was nothing fancy, a boat & captain, who spoke minimal English and barely interacted with us, for roughly 7 hours. We started the outing spotting a group of dolphins and was quickly at anchor drop 1 of 6. The distances between the 6 snorkel spots was minimal, which gave us lots of time in the water (at least 45 minutes, at each spot) with an added stop for a lunch break at local restaurants. Even the restaurants were fast and efficient, definitely used to catering to the boat crowd.

HAPPY 4th of JULY from SE ASIA SEA!

By Pat Patrick • July 4, 2026
Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July! Here on the Odyssey we celebrated in the SE Asia Sea on our way to Tioman Island, Malaysia . We have such a talented and dedicated group of residents here, they put together a fun hour of things to celebrate and embrace a lot of what we collectively love about the USA. Even our residents from other countries - Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany , etc. joined in the fun! ( I lent my flag below for decorations)

BINTAN, INDONESIA - BUDDHIST TEMPLE

By Pat Patrick • July 2, 2026
Vihara Avalokiteshvara Graha or Guan Yin Temple is near 500 Lohan, so we also toured the grounds of this large Temple complex. It's dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and is one the tallest brass statues of her in SE Asia. She is just over 55' tall, coated in 22 carat gold and is surrounded by scenic dragon fruit plantations. The tile work is intricate and textured with great details. The whole place is very tranquil and calming for meditation and prayer.